Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 33

Blog hop winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the Black Friday blog hop.



The winners of Crazy Love are:



-Lily B.

-Lynne



Please email me to claim your book prize.



To see the grand prize winners, check here

Black Friday blog hop

While the rest of the US is out battling the mall crowds, why not stay home and join the second annual Black Friday Blog Hop?




The hop is ONE DAY only.
There will be over 200 giveaways.


And 3 grand prizes. Head to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!





1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!






I'm giving away 2 copies of CRAZY LOVE









To be in the running, tweet the following (or place it on your Facebook page) and leave a comment here indicating what you've done:




Have you fallen in Love? 'Fun, flirty & fast!' http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Love-eboo... Read Crazy Love today! @NicolaMarsh USA Today bestseller 




Check out the other fab prizes on offer here

WEEKEND BOOK CLUB: Bella's Run

It has been too long since I've read any rural-lit. I love Rachel Treasure's books but has been years since I've read one.

Then I picked up Bella's Run recently and was hooked all over again.



Here's the blurb:







Bella Vermaelon and her best friend Patty are two fun-loving country girls bonded in sisterhood no blood could ever beat. Now they are coming to the end of a road trip which has taken them from their family farms in the rugged Victorian high country to the red dust of the Queensland Outback. 

For almost a year they have mustered cattle stations, cooked for weary stockmen, played hard at rodeos and danced through life like a pair of wild tumbleweeds. And with the arrival of Patty's brother Will and Bella's cousin Macca, it seems love is on the horizon too..

Then a devastating tragedy strikes, and Bella's world is changed forever. 

So she runs from the only life she has ever known. But can she really turn her back on the man she loves? Or on the land that runs deep in her blood?



It's a cracking book filled with real characters and real emotion.

It's poignant, romantic and funny, seamlessly weaving rural Australia and its lifestyle into an emotional story.

I loved it!



What are you reading this weekend?

Writers: be inspired

I'm a huge fan of Larry Brooks' STORYFIX blog.



He has some absolute fantastic posts on writing, from craft to guests.



Today's post on The Commodity of Courage by guest Art Holcomb is a must read for writers.



Inspirational stuff.

I'm a sweetheart

NOT THE MARRYING KIND is up for the 5 Heart Sweetheart over at The Romance Studio.



If you enjoyed my 'marriage of in-convenience!' book, please vote here 

FALLING FOR FLYNN half price, $1.99!

FALLING FOR FLYNN , my military contemporary romance set in Melbourne, is under half price for a week only.



You can grab it for $1.99 at Amazon now!



Here's what readers are saying about the book:



"Aww..... Nicola, you write the sweetest emotional love stories *sniff sniff*. Falling For Flynn was just beautiful to read! THANK YOU!!" Sheryl, Goodreads



"These stories are why I keep reading Nicole Marsh's books. A sweet reunion story. Great characters, great emotion." Michelle, Goodreads



Add it to your Goodreads list now!

The Romance Studio

The lovely folk over at The Romance Studio have just reviewed NOT THE  MARRYING KIND and given it 5 hearts (which means it'll be up for Favourite 5 Heart Sweetheart voting next week.)



In the meantime, here's the review.



I loved this part: 'The sex scenes were hot and perfect for the story  as they showed the explosive chemistry of the hero and heroine.'





If you want to read those hot scenes for yourself...



AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Blog tour: ANNIE SEATON

Today I'm thrilled to kick off fellow Entangled Publishing author Annie Seaton's blog tour.

I recently met Annie in person at the RWAus awards dinner and she's as vibrant and lovely in person as she is online.



Take it away, Annie!






















Amnesiac
oil sheikh billionaire, embroiled in a  family feud discovers his best friend’s little
sister has had his baby and…




No not really… but it is an example of a
possible trope!

Tropes....does anyone who doesn’t write romance
know what a trope is?

I have to admit that the word was new to me, the
first time my editor and I discussed my second book.  As both a librarian and English teacher in
former careers, I was embarrassed when I had to go to the dictionary. I was new
to writing and still picking up the lingo!

However the dictionary which defined it as a common or overused theme or device didn’t
really help me…so I went exploring. First stop Wikipedia –a trope is figurative language in literature, or a
figure of speech, or something recurring across a genre or type of creative
work.




Okay, still no wiser and when my editor asks what
tropes am I writing and reminds me I need at least two, I scurry off to Google!
Okay, same answer as Wikipaeida.

 Help!
This is taking time away from my writing. Where to now? Okay ...Google romance
tropes.

Yay…success! Thanks to a few romance blogs who
tell me that one of the secrets to writing successful romance is to take a well
loved trope and give it a twist. Ah…the penny drops. 




Tropes are what I have
read and loved for many years—I just didn’t know there was a name for it.
Secret babies, accidental pregnancies, amnesia, betrayal, family feuds and
friends to lovers.




In Holiday Affair, the trope is a one night
stand gone wrong, with a bit of mistaken identity or less than honesty thrown
in and a teensy hint of a love triangle.

 Everything that builds the conflict is the
trope.




So to answer my wonderful editor…the trope of my
next book is a combination of a marriage of convenience and an old family feud,
a little bit of opposites attract and a super wealthy hero!

Now when I am asked about trope, I feel rather
smug. And not only I can answer knowledgably, I can illustrate by describing my
own books and the path of my characters to happily ever after.




So tell me what’s your favorite trope?




Website:
http://annieseatonromance.com

Blog:
http://annieseaton.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annieseaton26

Twitter: @annieseaton26




Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes & Noble
















Annie Seaton lives on the beautiful east coast of Australia,
where she loves sitting in her writing chair, gazing at the ocean and writing
stories. She has always been fascinated by all things historical and has found
her niche writing contemporary romance and steampunk, where strong heroines and
brooding heroes fight together to make their alternative world a better place.

Her debut novel,
Holiday Affair, a contemporary romance set in the South Pacific was
released as part of Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence line in March. The sequel
Italian Affair is currently
underway Watch out for the story of Tom and Brianna the sex therapist who
spices up his life!

Winter of the Passion
Flower was released through Lyrical Press at the same time. It is also
available in print from the Books page of Annie's website. Currently immersed
in the creation of Book Two, a full length novel, the adventures of Sofia and
her Scottish laird, Annie is already looking forward to the rest of the series,
particularly the adventures of Indigo’s four boys: Jago and Jory, Ruan and Kit.
Strong sassy heroines and

rebellious heroes have a rollicking good time as they work to
make the world a better place--

albeit their own steampunk world.

Blind Lust, a paranormal
novella will be released by Musa Publishing on 15th June.

Guest: AMY ANDREWS

Today I'm thrilled to welcome a good buddy to my blog...the delightful Amy Andrews.
















Hi Nic and thanks for having me today to talk about my
Entangled release, Taming the Tycoon.  I’ve been really happy with reviews that have
pointed out both the humour and the sexiness of Nate and Addie’ story because
that’s two things I love in romance novels – I like to laugh and get just a little steamed up. My
husband likes it too J




Karla(Book Addict) at GR said - “I can´t say how much I
enjoyed this book, the story was great the plot was executed flawlessly and OMG
the sex scenes are HAWT, I swear I was sweating and squirming in my seat just
thinking about it”

I think she may have been talking about this scene …




His blue
eyes held hers and it was all she could do to breathe in and out.

“You give
a hell of a massage, Addie.”

His voice
rumbled around her, breaking the spell. She tore her gaze from his, afraid he’d
see how much she wanted him to grind a little harder.

But then
she was staring right at his erection. It was thick and long and stretched his
clinging boxers and she had to dig her fingertips into his thigh to stop from
reaching for it.

She had a
feeling it would be as beautiful as the rest of him and she really wanted to see it.

She
glanced at him and heat slammed in to her as his knowing, unapologetic gaze
claimed hers. “Like I said,” he murmured. “You give a hell of a massage.”

 But his voice was unsteady and there seemed to
be a slight glaze to his eyes and it was a turn- on to know that she’d done
that to him.

She
glanced at his erection again.

And that.

“How does
it feel?” she asked, her own voice vying for the top position in the husky
stakes.

“It
feels—” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Amazing. Everywhere feels amazing. You...” Addie’s eyes widened as he pressed
his kneecap hard against her “... feel amazing.”

She shut
her eyes as a wave of longing rolled through her. “I do, don’t I?” she murmured
as she rotated her hips, her fingers automatically working his thigh again.

Nathaniel’s
eyes closed too. “Uh-huh.”

She rotated
again then rocked back and forth a little with the motion of her kneading. His
knee cap was just the right amount of hard against all her softness and she
mewed as it slid against all her sensitive spots. 

Honey and
vanilla wafted up from his leg and she wanted to rub it all over him and lick
off every last sticky morsel.

“Addie?”

She
opened her eyes to his husky question, gratified to see the clench of his jaw,
the strain in his neck muscles, his hands gripping the sheet beside him.

“Are you
drunk?” he asked.

She
rocked into him, meshing her gaze with his and smiled. “Just drunk enough to be
very, very easy.”

Nathaniel
gave a half laugh. “Having sex with a fake girlfriend would be very...” She
watched his eyes shut as she ground down hard. “Very bad,” he muttered, opening
his eyes again.

Addie
nodded as the image of them entwined and naked on this sinful bed exploded
inside her head. “But this isn’t sex,” she said stroking her hand higher on his
thigh as she angled her pelvis where the pressure was best. She hit the right
spot and it sucked the breath right from her lungs.

“Oh, I
think it is,” he muttered.




Although, there are a few more like that J




Jen from Random Jensmit also talked about the sexiness in
her review but I was thrilled when she made particular mention of the funny. “What
I absolutely LOVE about this book is the humor that shows up all through the
pages.  Addie is funny and Nate is just
snarky and a little dirty with his double entandras – LOVE IT!”




I’m thinking this is one of the scenes she had in mind!




Nathaniel looked up from the breakfast table when
Addie joined them at eight-thirty. He grinned at her and she blushed. She had
her hair back in some braid thing and was wearing faded denim jeans this
morning that hung loose and low on her hips and a plain navy t-shirt that
didn’t quite meet the jeans.

He’d had his hand on that strip of skin he could
see. Held it there while she’d wiggled and squirmed against him. Just thinking
about it got him hard again.

It hadn’t been what he’d expected—hell, developing
a fascination with Addie was one complication he didn’t need—but there were
worse ways to wake up.

“Here she is. Morning my pretty,” Eunice boomed her
welcome. “Nate said you were wide awake at five for a while, so we just let you
sleep.”

Addie faltered as she sat down, glancing at him, and
he winked at her as he said, “I do hope that itch I couldn’t quite scratch has
settled. Darling.”




So if you like sexy with a few laughs, this may just be the book
for you.



Amy is giving away a copy of TAMING THE TYCOON and a keychain!






Answer this question to be in the running:




What are the things you look for in a romance novel?

Crazy Love winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered the CRAZY LOVE kindle giveaway.

We had over 400 entries!



Unfortunately, the book didn't reach the dizzying heights of top 150 on Amazon for the kindle giveaway.



But I am giving away10 copies of CRAZY LOVE as a consolation prize!



The winners according to Rafflecopter are:



Amy Smith

Stacey A Smith

Jacquie Biggar

Kristina Knight

Kelly Bowerman

Jessica Espinal Cross

Nora-Adrienne Deret

Aliaa Jordan El-Nashar

Christine Mead

Rose McHallen



Please email me so I can confirm your correct address to gift you the book via Amazon.